What We've Done

People can't support causes they don't know about

Take the good stuff--the stuff that is so good that it inspires others to do good. The stuff that makes you tear up it's so good--and share it! That's what we do at Ignite my Cause. Ignite has been working with the Coalition for Children Youth & Families because the work they do helps break the cycle of poverty, under-education and violence that plagues our communities. They do this by finding and supporting foster and adoptive famlies who often transform the lives of kids who are at great risk of that incidious cycle. We don't always know the exact moment someone is inspired to foster, adopt, help a neighbor or someone they've just met--but we know sharing stories like Lisa's has incredible potential to influence and energize folks to do good!

Running Rebels Community Organization has been helping Milwaukee's most at risk youth for over 30 years. But the problem was that not enough people knew about them. That all changed in with the launch of the Stop a Speeding Bullet Campaignwhich told intimate stories of personal transformation achieved as a result of Running Rebels court-ordered programs. News stories and advertisements on billboards and bus shelters were seen over 3.9 million times. Donated services and billboards meant that the total cash investment for Running Rebels was only $600. Not bad considering the campaign was valued at over $150,000. ​Check out the video montage of media coverage for the campaign below.

The Bridge Project was a campaign to inspire Milwaukeeans to unite for violence prevention. Bridges have long been symbols of making connections; not just connecting two masses of land, but also connecting people. The launch of the Bridge Project connected people of goodwill -- youth and adults - who work to build bridges of peace and non-violence.

Violence-Free Zone (VFZ) is a national youth violence reduction program for high-risk students. A team of mentors work with school administration to identify troubled students and establish close, long-term relationships with them. The Center for Neighborhood Enterprise in Washington DC designed this program to operate in the most trouble-plagued schools in urban centers with high levels of crime and violence. A five-year study by the Baylor Institute revealed that VFZ has produced measurable decreases in school violence.

Keeping Milwaukee teenagers safe, just got harder. In November of 2014 Running Rebels Community Organization learned that funding was no longer available for their after school program. This video talks about the devastating impact of this sudden funding shortfall and what we can do about it.

Has enough actually changed since Brown vs. Board of Education? Schools & Communities United doesn't think so. We produced this video to get people thinking deeply about education and fulfilling America's promise.

Click to view Ignite's Youtube channel to see more social causes brought to light.